The cover of the revised version of the Wanli Annals of Tongzhou. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

The launch of the revised version of the Wanli Annals of Tongzhou was held at the Nantong Library in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, on Dec 22.

The book was published by the Nanjing Publishing House and revised by a professional team from Nantong University.

Nantong was called Tongzhou in ancient times, but it was renamed Nantong in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to distinguish it from the Tongzhou in northern China.

The original book Wanli Annals of Tongzhou was printed in the sixth year of the Ming Dynasty (1578), which systematically recorded the nature, politics, economy, culture, and social conditions of Nantong and is an invaluable resource for research on the city's history.

The revised annals consist of eight volumes with a simplified format and content, as well as annotations for people's names, place names, and ancient laws and regulations, making it easier for modern readers to understand.

Jiang Rongfang, director of the Nantong Chronicles Office, said that the compilation of local chronicles in the city started in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), with 59 chronicles having been written, 44 of which have been well preserved.

In early 2022, the office launched a collation project for ancient chronicles. The Wanli Annals of Tongzhou is the first part of the project, while the collation of the Kangxi Annals of Tongzhou has already commenced, noted Jiang.

More ancient chronicles, including the Qianlong Annals of Tongzhou, Guangxu Annals of Tongzhou, and Tongzhou in Pictures by Zhang Jian, will be collated in the future, and local counties and districts will be directed to proofread their local chronicles.